


the stars are coming home

by lsforever



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, Famous Harry Styles, Famous Louis Tomlinson, Fluff, Football | Soccer, Football | Soccer Player Louis Tomlinson, Harry Styles Takes Care of Louis Tomlinson, Husbands, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Minor Injuries, No Smut, Popstar Harry Styles, Power Couple, Spoilers Tags:, all is well i promise!, as in mild injury with care and comfort after, dream team, like always :), love that tag, n & z are not even mentioned sry, please don't let these tags deter you, they're both famous as fk did someone say
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-28
Updated: 2021-02-28
Packaged: 2021-03-14 16:28:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29545143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lsforever/pseuds/lsforever
Summary: For years Harry has been waiting for their schedules to click just right. Finding a day where he’ll not only be available but also is the only visitor on the premises has been near impossible.After three years together and nearly a full year of marriage, Harry has finally been permitted to sit in for one of the team’s practices. They get more than they bargained for.
Relationships: Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson
Comments: 16
Kudos: 113





	the stars are coming home

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunflower_lwt](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunflower_lwt/gifts).



> Hello everybody! As I said in the tags, everything is mild, but if you're worried about anything listed in the tags you're more than welcome to come ask [me](https://harrystinyshorts.tumblr.com/) (off anon please) and I'll be happy to explain it more for you. Also, I do not claim to know anything about football or anything that comes along with it. I did some research on the Trafford Training Centre/Aon Training Complex or whatever they're calling it right now but even then I didn't find much. Please, if you know more about football practices and how that stuff works, just skim over any inaccuracies. Also, Louis plays for ManU. That's all!
> 
> This is for [Rae](https://hometothecanyonmoon.tumblr.com/)! Thank you for the amazing prompt (football!louis) and I really hope you enjoy this. I had so much fun figuring out what I wanted to do for this and also writing it. Also, shout out to the mods for putting the [Secret Larry Valentine](https://secretlarryvalentine.tumblr.com/) together. I can't wait to do it again next year!
> 
>  **Big** thank you to my beta [S](https://solvetheminourdreams.tumblr.com/), I love you forever and ever<3 Seriously the best person ever! Any other mistakes are my own!
> 
> **Translations or reposting of this story or any of my other works are not authorized at this time.**
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Harry can’t contain his excitement from the moment he wakes up.

He could barely contain it enough to properly fall asleep the night before either. Louis cuddled him close despite it being too warm in the bedroom for close contact, eventually calming him enough to doze off.

At seven their alarm goes off, and though it normally takes a few minutes for Harry to shake off the sleep, excitement pulses through his veins when he remembers the plans for the day. 

After three years together and nearly a full year of marriage, Harry has _finally_ been permitted to sit in for one of the team’s practices. He won’t be allowed on the pitch, but there’s a fancy elevated viewing area in the main building that he’ll be spending most of the day in. Besides lunch and dinner, Harry knows he most likely won’t leave his seat by the windows.

“You’ve been to most of my games this year already,” Louis says a little while later, once they’ve both showered and are in the kitchen. He’s smirking over the rim of his mug. “I promise practice is boring compared to them.”

Harry rolls his eyes. The thing is, he’s sure Louis is right, but being an international pop star who’s dating one of the most famous professional athletes means they’ve had their difficulties schedule-wise. Finding a day where he’s not only available but also is the only visitor on the premises has been near impossible.

For years Harry has been waiting for their schedules to click just right, and now that his label is cutting him some slack on the amount of music he pumps out, he’s going to take advantage of it.

He slides the plate of toast and scrambled eggs (that he managed to sneak some peppers and onions into before Louis could protest) over the counter to his husband. The smoothie they’ll share just finished in the blender, and as he pours it into some glasses, he says, “Even if it is boring, I still wanna be there. Wanna see you in action.”

Louis sighs, though his smile gives him away. Harry knows he’s excited to have him there as well. Their schedules haven’t lined up this well in a long time, since their wedding and honeymoon, really. They have almost an entire month together before Harry is flying out with his team to Jamaica for another week of writing. An entire month free of any obligations; Harry’s been looking forward to it all year.

An hour later and they’ve almost made it to the grounds, Louis in the passenger seat instructing Harry where to park. It’s cloudy but not overcast, and Harry can already see people milling about on the pitch and walking in and out of the main hall.

He’s a bit jittery with excitement and nerves. Sure, he’s toured all over the world and sings in front of seventy thousand people regularly, yet being around Louis’ whole team and everybody else that comes along with them is still nerve-wracking.

He’s not sure how much PDA is allowed or if he’ll get to meet more of the team or get a tour of the facilities, and he doesn’t want to make a fool of himself in front of everybody.

Harry opted for his own running outfit for the day, some athletic shorts, a hoodie, and beanie - knowing his usual attire would stand out too much. Even still, he feels out of place as they step out of the SUV near the doors. He’s the “Popstar Husband” everybody teases Louis about, and though he knows it’s all in good heart, it still has him a little nervous.

Louis rounds the car before Harry’s door is shut, nearly throwing himself into Harry’s arms. There are people standing about, on the pitch and by the doors, and Harry knows they’re probably staring, but he takes advantage of the closeness while he can. Louis is holding him tight and it makes Harry’s stomach flutter.

“It’s fine, babe. Partners come to practices more often than you think. I’m sure they’ll all love you. And I’m glad you’re here.” Louis’ words and tone are reassuring, his hands smoothing over Harry’s shoulder blades. He always knows exactly what Harry needs.

Pressing his nose into Louis’ hair one last time, Harry inhales and sighs, feeling more at ease. “Thank you,” he whispers, getting one more good squeeze in before Louis pulls back enough to face him.

“I love you,” Louis says, eyes boring deep into Harry’s.

A wide smile breaks onto his face, and he can feel his cheeks heating up. “I love you too.”

Louis drops a quick peck to Harry’s lips before leading the way inside, introducing him to a few people along the way. It’s hard for Harry to keep up on all the names but he makes sure to remember the coaches at least, keeping up with Louis’ fast pace as he shows him around.

“I don’t have time to show you everything, but the restaurant is down that hall there,” Louis points, waiting for Harry to nod in acknowledgement before continuing on, leading him up to the second floor and through some double doors. “And here’s the viewing room.”

It’s larger than Harry was expecting, two walls entirely made of windows with tables and chairs and sofas filling the space. The pale green sofa in the corner looks perfect for watching out both walls of windows, and Harry walks over to set his bag down on one end.

“I should be going.” Louis wraps his arms around Harry’s waist, letting him turn in his arms so they can hug properly. “You can head over for some food anytime. We won’t be able to have lunch together but I’ll for sure see you at dinner.”

“Sounds good. Love you,” Harry says once more before letting Louis go.

“I love you too.”

Then Louis is gone, and Harry is left to his own devices. It’s going to be a long day, he knows, but he’s brought his lyrics journal, laptop, a book, and some coffee to keep him busy.

The sun has barely risen, glaring right at Harry through the windows, so he takes a few minutes to snap some golden hour selfies to surprise his fans with later before pulling out his laptop.

Two hours later, Harry has just ended a Skype call with his sister and is peering out the windows to watch the pitch.

He noticed the moment Louis left the building earlier, watching intently as he ran over to the pitch with a few other teammates. Though he’s not in his usual game attire, he still looks amazing in the white and green practice gear, skin almost glowing under the sun.

All Harry can think is _golden._

It was fun watching the field and different routines for about an hour before Harry decided to call his sister, needing something to distract him. Gemma let him sigh over Louis in the uniform for a solid five minutes before forcefully moving on, but then she had to let him go, so now he’s bored again.

While he has no work obligations for a month, that doesn’t stop him from opening his journal to jot down a few lines here and there that he likes, working off of previous verses he wanted to save. He has a few ideas he wants to take on his trip, hoping to turn them into worthy songs for his next album.

His favourite so far has been giving him troubles for weeks, trying to find the right wording that he’ll be content with. After watching Louis run down the field for a while, it comes to him, and he writes it down:

_Can feel you take control of who I am and all I've ever known_

_Loving you's the antidote_

Harry reads it to himself, glancing outside again and catching Louis, a golden streak zooming across the pitch. He’s not sure why, but he writes it down on the same page, _golden_ sprawled across the margins a few different times. It just feels right.

The iced coffee he brought is finally gone, noisy as he sips up the last few drops, so he switches over to his water bottle. There are a few granola bars in his bag for a snack, but Harry is feeling hungry for something more substantial, and he glances at the time on his phone.

It’s probably too early to go in search of some lunch, barely half ten, but then Harry remembers Louis telling him he didn’t have to stay at the centre the whole day.

 _“You’re more than welcome to leave for a bit if you’d like. I don’t expect you to stay all twelve hours that we’re here,”_ Louis had said the night before while they were cuddled on the sofa.

Surely it would be okay for him to leave and grab some food nearby.

He packs his things up again and is only slightly nervous as he steps out into the hall. Walking through the centre alone will be fine. Everybody knows he’s supposed to be here. He won’t be in trouble for leaving. Right?

Still, Harry keeps his head down a bit as he walks down to the lift, half afraid he’ll get caught.

And he is. Before the doors slide shut, someone’s hand shoots out to catch them so they can step in as well. Harry recognises her as one of the personal assistants, though he’s not sure who’s.

“Harry, right?” she asks, and her smile is gentle. She hasn’t commented on his fame or music like almost everybody else has, and Harry is grateful to have a normal conversation for once.

He nods, feeling a bit more at ease. “Yeah, and uh…” he trails off, wincing when he realises he doesn’t remember her name. He tacks on a smile, hoping she’ll understand. “Sorry, I’ve met so many people today. It’s hard to keep track.”

She chuckles. “That’s quite alright. Some of the players still don’t even remember my name and have been training here for years. I’m Millie.”

“That’s horrible.”

Millie just shrugs, and when the doors slide open they both head out in the same direction. “Eh, I’m not upset about it. You headed out of here too?” she asks, and he finally notices her holding a bag of her own.

Harry pushes open the door, holding it open for her to walk out as well. “Just gonna pop out for some coffee and lunch I think,” he answers.

“Ahh yes. Great choice, the coffee here is… questionable.” She smiles at him again, body turning in the other direction, waving over her shoulder as she walks away. “Well, I’ve got some stuff to mail. It was lovely meeting you, Harry. Have a great lunch!”

“You too!” he calls back, turning towards the SUV.

From here he can’t see everything happening on all the fields, though he is much closer to the one Louis is on. They seem to be in a faux match, and he finds Louis right away leading the ball down the field, speedy as ever.

Harry has always loved watching Louis play. His presence on the field is just mesmerising, the way he seems to take control. His teammates follow his lead with everything, listening to anything he yells out. And while he looks concentrated as ever, Harry can tell by the slight upturn of his lips and glimmer in his eyes that he’s happier than ever.

After sending off a quick text of his whereabouts to Louis’ phone just in case he ventures inside anytime soon, Harry throws his bag in the backseat and is about to jump in the driver’s seat when something in the corner of his eye catches his attention.

There’s a small pile of players tangled up on the ground, no doubt the product of a rough tackle. Harry can tell Louis is on the ground just from seeing his hair, and though he has no doubt they’ll all be alright, he waits to watch until the four players all stand up again.

The first two jump up right away, and then the third, who Harry recognises as Liam, slowly rolls away and takes his time sitting and stretching a bit.

But Louis… stays down.

For a concerning amount of time.

Fuck. 

Harry holds his breath, counting the seconds as they tick by, fifteen, thirty, sixty. Dread starts flooding his abdomen, his heart nearly beating out of his chest.

Still, he waits another minute, watching as Liam, Louis’ best mate and one of the midfielders, crouches down next to him. Then Louis’ hand shoots up in the air in an aborted attempt to wave him away, and Harry watches as he curls up even more, his other hand now holding his knee.

_Oh fuck._

Harry can’t hear anything besides his own beating heart as he runs full speed, out of breath and almost tripping over himself to get to his husband. He shoulders around the other teammates who are standing around watching.

Deep down Harry knows he’ll probably be yelled at for this, knowing guests aren’t allowed on the pitch, but he doesn’t care. Can’t bring himself to think or worry about anything else besides dropping down to the grass in front of Louis’ curled up form.

“Harry, what’re you doin’ out here mate?” Liam asks, puzzled.

Harry ignores him in favour of running his hand over Louis’ shoulder, grabbing his other free hand. He makes sure to not get close to his bottom half, not wanting to chance accidentally bumping Louis’ knee that he is positive is injured now.

Where the fuck are the coaches or the doctor or _someone?_

“Lou,” he says desperately, panting, hoping for some sort of reaction.

Louis squeezes his hand tight enough to hurt, croaking out, “ _Fuuuck._ ”

And then promptly gets sick in the grass.

“Oh, love.” Harry winces, thankful for the headband Louis decided to wear holding his hair back. He strokes his thumb gently over Louis' hand and finally hears one of the coaches saying the doctor is on their way.

“Is he alright?” someone whispers nearby. Harry has half a mind to yell at them to sod off, though he knows he has no right to do so.

“No, you twat!” Louis groans. He still hasn’t lifted his face after turning away from the sick in the grass, though Harry knows everybody heard him since they all murmur a bit and step further away. The coach and Liam are the only two nearby now.

Unsure of what he can to do help the situation without worsening it, Harry stays put, refusing to overthink. He can’t let himself think of all the things that could be wrong, else he’ll start freaking out, and he knows nobody wants to see that.

Still, he can’t help but worry, bottom lip caught between his teeth, as he tries to comfort Louis the best he can for the time being.

“I’m here! I’m here. Sorry, lad.” The doctor, Steve, drops down to the grass as well. He shoots Harry a confused glance, who just scoots out of the way, still uncaring for being present.

Louis rolls over onto his back, and Harry frowns when he sees how his face is scrunched up in pain. He feels helpless, and it fucking sucks. The least he can do is pull his beanie off, use it to wipe Louis’ face clean, and then stuff it into his hoodie pocket. Louis blinks at him, lips quirking, though it looks more like a grimace than a smile.

Steve does his thing, asking Louis a bunch of questions and inspecting his knee and the rest of the leg, which Harry can see is already starting to bruise. He stays silent, offering up the best smile he can muster when he catches the coach, Mike, watching him.

After a few minutes, Steve and Mike are able to help Louis up, supporting him on either side to help him back to the building. He can’t put much pressure on his leg without groaning, though he does try until Mike snaps at him to stop before he makes it worse.

Harry follows a few feet behind, not entirely catching everything they’re saying. He runs forward to push the door opener buttons, Mike thanking him as they pass by.

“You’re not allowed back here,” Steve says over his shoulder when they enter the rehab hall and find the closest empty office.

“ _He stays,_ ” Louis mutters firmly, letting Mike help him up onto the exam table. He locks eyes with Harry again, and Harry’s heart swells despite the situation.

Harry isn’t entirely sure of what they’re discussing with Louis, too many medical terms and phrases flying about that it’s hard to keep up. He stays at the head of the bed with Louis’ hand in his own. When Steve and an assistant start poking around at his knee and ankle, Louis squeezes Harry’s hand tight again, face scrunched up in pain.

Harry has to refrain from cooing and going all mum-mode on him. His fingers are itching to smack their hands away and cuddle Louis up in his arms.

As it is, he keeps his hand steady for Louis, rubbing his fingers over their wedding bands when Louis' grip is loose and watching and listening intently.

“Alright, I think we’ve seen enough,” Steve finally says. The other staff member reaches into one of the cupboards and procures some sort of brace, and Louis’ eyes go wide when he notices.

“You banged up your knee pretty bad but some ice packs and pain meds should help easily enough,” Steve continues, speaking both to Louis and Mike. He starts wrapping up Louis’ ankle. “Though you sprained your ankle. I’ve got an air cast here that you’ll have to wear for a week.”

Louis groans, but he lets them adjust the cast over the bandages before sitting upright.

“Which means you’ll be out for a week as well. Probably still won’t let you do much once you’re back either. It’s not the worst injury but it’s still not ideal.” Mike looks over to Harry and continues, “He’ll need your help getting around too.”

Harry nods in agreement, hoping his expression is as serious as he feels.

A whole week. A whole week where neither of them has any obligations. Harry knows the circumstances aren’t ideal, but he can’t help the small thrill he feels at the thought of an impromptu week-long vacation together. It’s been a long time coming.

They finally finish discussing everything with Louis - diet stays the same, steer clear of stairs for a day or two, keep his ankle supported with the tight bandages and cast - and declare him free to go. The assistant is sent to pack up Louis’ things and grab some crutches for him to use, and they’re finally alone in the exam room.

Louis groans again, covering his face with both hands.

Harry rounds the table and leans in for a hug. “‘M all gross,” Louis mumbles, though he sags against him, and Harry’s heartbeat slows to a normal rate eventually.

“Don’t care,” Harry whispers, nuzzling his hair, relief flooding him. The injuries are minimal, nothing they can’t handle with ease, and Harry is already mentally cataloguing everything he wants to do for and with Louis this week. He’s looking forward to taking care of Louis even more than he already does, and the endless cuddles and movie marathons in bed that are bound to happen.

“How are you feeling?” Louis has answered this question at least four times already, but Harry still has to check-in for himself.

“Tired,” he answers, quiet and soft, like he also feels the need to just have a shared moment between them. Harry massages his shoulders a bit, quietly waiting, watching Louis think to himself for a moment.

“Yeah,” he continues a moment later with finality. He shrugs, and already Harry can see how exhausted he is. “Just wanna be home and in bed.”

Harry hums, nodding in agreement. “I’ll take you upstairs when we get home. _No -”_ Harry cuts Louis’ protests off before he can even get them out. “No arguing. You can nap however long you want. We can spend all of tomorrow in our room.”

At his suggestion, Louis smiles - that look of pure fond and love that he has for Harry only washing over his face. He’s absolutely gorgeous; Harry loves him so much.

“Yeah, yeah. I _guess_ that sounds doable.” But Harry knows how excited for it all Louis really is, can hear it in his voice and see it in the quirked eyebrow.

The assistant comes back with the aforementioned items, though Harry only pulls away a few inches. “Thanks,” Louis says while they’re on the way out again. “So. A whole week, huh?”

A smile spreads over Harry’s face. He squeezes Louis’ shoulders before stepping back completely, venturing over to the sink to wet some towels. “Yeah. Unexpected vacation,” he responds, and he can hear how excited his own voice sounds.

Louis smiles, taking the towel to properly wipe his face clean while Harry pulls his hoodie over his head. “Guess we’re pretty lucky, eh? A whole week at home with my favourite person.” 

Harry blushes at Louis’ words, still just as impacted by his compliments as he was four years ago.

“I’m already planning everything,” Harry admits.

“Of course you are, love.” Louis rolls his eyes, but Harry can see he’s clearly amused and fond.

Harry helps him down from the table once he’s changed out of his dirty shirt and into the hoodie, mentioning to steer clear of the beanie in the pocket until they get home. Louis only winces a little when he stands upright. “The cast helps a lot,” he mutters, using the crutches to get to the sink, then leaning over to rinse his mouth out.

Harry gathers Louis' bag and stays by his side on the way out. He tries to keep his eyes off of him, but it’s hard when Louis looks so adorable in his hoodie, sleeves bunched at his wrists.

Liam is milling about the entrance, and his face lights up when he sees them round the corner. “Thank god, you’re okay,” he crows, scurrying like a puppy to push the door button for them.

“‘Course I am. Takes a lot more than your dumb arse tackling me to keep me down,” Louis says, smirking when Liam rolls his eyes.

Liam follows them back out to the car, taking the bag from Harry to put in the back while Harry aids Louis into the passenger seat. He hands Louis his phone, saying his goodbyes and making him promise to keep them all updated before running back inside.

Harry has barely shut the door on his side when his stomach grumbles, his nerves finally calm enough for him to notice how hungry he really is.

“Oh, me too,” Louis agrees, his hand rubbing over his tummy in the cutest way. “Let’s get some food?”

“Yes, please. I was actually leaving to grab a bite somewhere when you took that tumble.” The past hour has sped by, nearly noon now. Harry hopes they don’t hit the lunch rush too hard. He’s beyond hungry at this point and is dreading the near hour drive home, wanting nothing more than to eat and relax in bed.

“I knew you didn’t get to me that fast from inside,” Louis muses. He plugs his phone into the aux, and Harry is not surprised when his own voice starts filtering through the speakers. Louis plays his music every chance he gets, and Harry knows he won’t be able to resist Louis’ pleading this week.

“I’m fast,” he counters, though he knows it’s futile.

Louis just shakes his head, smile beautiful as ever, taking Harry’s breath away. “You don’t even know where the stairwell is, love. Couldn’t get to me that fast with the lift.”

He’s right, and Harry knows better than to argue. Instead, he brings up the different food places that he was contemplating as he pulls out of the parking lot, and as Louis is browsing their menus online, he lets his mind drift off.

They don’t have a lot in the kitchen at the moment, and Harry makes his decision on his afternoon plans before they’ve made it to the drive-thru.

By the time they’ve made it home, food long gone, Louis is struggling to stay awake. Harry can’t help but grin at him.

He only struggles a little helping Louis upstairs. He refuses to be carried, but Harry does so anyway, giggling the whole way up and unceremoniously dropping him on the bed. After helping him into some clean clothes, Harry turns the lights off, and within minutes Louis is snoring.

It doesn’t take long for Harry to make it to the closest store, decked out in a jacket with the hood pulled up, sweats, and sunglasses in hopes of nobody recognising him. It still happens from time to time, but since they’ve moved to this neighbourhood after their wedding, neither of them have had any instances in this particular store.

He makes quick work of grabbing what he needs, enough food for them to cook their favourite meals together for a few days, as well as some surprise items.

By the time he makes it home, Louis is still fast asleep. Harry knows he can’t let him sleep much longer, half an hour at most, or he won’t be able to fall asleep at all tonight. That gives him just enough time to put everything away and sneak back upstairs with a few items in hand.

“Lou,” he calls softly after closing the bedroom door behind himself. It’s enough to make Louis stir but not wake up, so Harry deposits the items on the side table and crawls up so he’s half laying on top of his husband's good side.

“Erghhh,” Louis grumbles, shifting until he’s fully laying on his back, face screwed up all grumpy-like and cute as fuck.

Harry will never grow tired of the many adorable facial expressions Louis has. 

He scoots his lower half away, cautious of Louis’ leg, but stays close enough to run his fingers through his tangled hair.

“Good morning, sleepyhead,” he coos, still soft as ever, waiting for Louis to slowly come back to consciousness.

“G’morning.” Louis’ voice is rough and scratchy but Harry can tell he doesn’t sound grumpy. He continues the tender touches and gentle head scratches until Louis finally blinks his eyes open, adjusting to the light peeking in through the curtains.

The whole week will consist of this: waking up with Louis every morning, nowhere to be; just them. Harry is more excited than ever, ready to do nothing but laze around and watch reality tv, to just admire Louis however much he’s allowed to. He’ll probably text both their families and see if anybody will have time for a visit as well, but he’ll save that for later in the week.

Louis’ face twists up concerningly, and Harry is about to jump up and grab the bin when he rasps out, “I’m Fine, just. Help me to the loo? Need to brush m’teeth.”

He won’t let Harry carry him again, but he leans most of his weight on him anyway on the short walk to the en suite. They both brush their teeth, and when they come back into the room Louis finally notices the side table.

“What’s all that?”

“Snuck out to the store while you napped,” Harry confesses, spreading the items out on the bed in front of them. A few red bulls and water bottles, a box of assorted chocolates, crisps, and some bananas and grapes. “Also we’re making pizza tonight. Got the stuff for margherita and sausage.”

Louis’ looking at him like he’s proposed (again), and Harry preens a bit. He may be a little lazy and forgetful at times while not on tour, but when it comes to taking care of his loved ones, he’ll never miss the mark.

“Fuck, I love you.” Louis throws his arms around Harry, attempting to smother him with kisses and praise but after a few moments he groans, nearly hanging off of him.

“Lou?” Harry asks, panicked, and he tries to lift him a bit so they can see eye-to-eye.

Louis huffs, slowly settling back against his pillows. He offers up one of his dazzling smiles, though Harry can still see the way his eyebrow twitches in annoyance. “Just moved too fast and jerked my knee a bit. I’m alright though,” Louis sighs out, already popping open a can of red bull and downing half of it in one go.

Harry rolls his eyes. Louis will let out half outrageous burps for the next hour, but it’s worth it to see how content he is with the situation.

While Louis scrolls through Disney+ to choose a movie, Harry grabs some extra blankets and pillows from the closet so he can help prop his ankle up and make the bed extra cosy. They’ll be confined to the bedroom until at least tomorrow night, if Louis is even feeling up to trying the stairs by then.

Settling next to Louis, Harry grabs a banana and throws an arm over Louis’ shoulders, holding him close. He still smells like the pitch with undertones of sweat, and Harry can’t help but press his nose into his hair and inhale. He’ll always love and feel comforted by Louis’ natural scent.

“Quit sniffing me ya’ dork,” Louis protests, pressing play on _Lilo & Stitch._

Harry can hear the smile in his voice and he presses closer. They’ve only got a week, but it feels like they have all the time in the world. Harry sure as hell is going to make the best of it.

“Oh, you love it. And me,” he counters back playfully.

He knows he’s won when Louis turns his head and inhales Harry’s scent, nose pressed to the juncture where his shoulder and neck meet.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do love you,” Louis whispers.

Louis slips his hand into Harry’s as they settle against each other, propped up by their many pillows. Harry sneaks his other hand over, engulfing Louis’ with both of his own, and his heart skips a beat when Louis starts fiddling with his silver and green band.

And while Louis’ gaze is locked on the tv, there’s still a gentle upturn to his lips, features soft and happy and content. Harry allows himself to watch for a moment, to just admire him for a bit, feeling so much love swell in his chest. Even after all these years, the littlest things make him happier than ever, and he’s reminded again of just how lucky he is to have found his soulmate.

Harry sighs softly into Louis’ hair, kissing his temple gently, and thumbs over the blue and silver band on his finger as well.

“I love you, too.”

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Comments fuel my motivation :') Also please feel free to come say hi! My inbox is always open<3
> 
> [Fic Post](https://harrystinyshorts.tumblr.com/post/644385207390208000/the-stars-are-coming-home-by-lsforever) | [Tumblr](https://harrystinyshorts.tumblr.com/)
> 
> x


End file.
